Cruisers Inc.

1984 Cruisers Incorporated (now Cruisers Yachts)
297 Avanti Vee (33ft OAL 10'8" Beam)
Twin Engine Inboard (tunneled)
Pleasure Craft (Ford blocked) 351 @ 270hp each (250 hours each claimed)

125 Detailed Photos At This Location!!! (Note: there are 3 pages of photos in the gallery)

OK, here we go!

This is a well built mid range boat and an incredible starter opportunity for someone looking to break into twin engines. Handles like a dream in slow speeds, 3-4 foot chop and more and cruises at 25mph all day at 3000rpm. I think she does about 32mph if pushed. Lots of power from the twin 270hp engines for a 30 foot boat. Remember, this is still the early 80s when boats were built with more fiberglass! Also, in the 80s when they said 30ft boat it met 32-33' from tip to tail. Twin 125 gallon gas tanks for long runs, 30 gallon fresh water tank and 15 gallon holding tank.

For those who know the name...this is a Jim Wynne designed hull. He is best know for his Bertram hull designs and the father of the modern outdrive among 1001 other boating credits.

We have owned this boat for about 5 years and have just loved it, but another boat came into our lives. We got a great deal on this boat as the previous owner was starting to ignore and neglect her and we have continued to refine, upgrade and make this boat a classic treasure that gets comments every where we go! This is an incredible starter boat for someone looking to get into twin engine cruising. Handles like a dream, snow speed maneuvering in tight situations is great. We believe to be the third owner based on the previous owners comments. I think the boat has done all her time on Lake Erie and she is well known around "the islands".

Heated storage every winter, winterized and maintained by the top "boat guy" in Sandusky area!

125 Detailed Photos At This Location!!! (Note: there are 3 pages of photos in the gallery)

Full forward birth with wardrobe and drawers, spacious head (bathroom) and galley and a dinette that folds out to be another full bed. This boat has the largest back deck you will see on a 30ft boat short of a Sea Ray Amberjack. Pull the seats and you have a full out fishing boat minus the tuna chair! Raised helm for great visibility while maneuvering. No fancy electronics on board. Double sink with updated home quality fixtures, old electric/alcohol stove removed for more usable space and single burner propane stove top is included. Microwave and standard size (working) fridge and working Air Conditioning with heat. Spacious bathroom with shower. Swim deck, bow pulpit and danforth anchor. Lots of storage below...especially in the bathroom.

This boat is visually a 9.5 out of 10 and the interior and vinyl seating are an 8 out of 10. We sought out this boat because our friends had one and we loved the space and design for a 30ft boat. Way roomier then any Sea Ray in its class, half the price and better quality! Our friends just sold their boat for $18,000 and ours is in just as good as shape as theirs was, so what a deal. The deck and every location is solid, no softspots. It's hard to find a spider crack anywhere on the glass!

The boat was purchased in Cleveland and had an existing survey from several years previous. We didn't do another survey when we purchased it due to the fact it was a fairly recent survey and we personally knew the surveyor who signed it! A quick call to him confirmed he remembered the boat and said buy it, it was a keeper! Good hull, good stringers, good engines...

125 Detailed Photos At This Location!!! (Note: there are 3 pages of photos in the gallery)

We updated the look inside to remove most traces of 1984! Since buying the boat we have recently upgraded the following:

New convertible top canvas (summer 2009)
New drop curtain canvas (summer 2009)
New upper and lower paint in blue (spring 2008)
new factory decals on arch and hull (spring 2008)
New stainless rub rail all around (spring 2008)
Updated cabinets and selected wood (spring 2006)
New carpet (spring 2006)
New hot water tank: 6 gallon (summer 2007)
Carburetors rebuilt: both (winter 2007)
New black caulking to seal leaks and a clean modern look (summer 2008)

None stop upgrades to plumbing, wiring, etc. If it needed done...it was done and done well by myself or my mechanic. I'm a great do-it-yourselfer and know every square inch of this boat. I'm not your typical boater who puts in gas and pays someone else to solve problems. I never cut corners. I work hard for my toys and often can only afford them if I care for them and manage them myself.

New wiring to head and switch and new macerator/grinder pump (2008)
Updated stereo inside with speakers outside and inside and a wired remote at the helm. It sound great! (2007)
3 House batteries with digital battery combiner system (1 house, 1 starting and 1 duel purpose) Two in great shape but I think I'd get a new house battery next season.
Props in great shape with no dings or concerns. These are 4 blade props which give superior low speed maneuvering, for those tight marinas on the islands!
Solid deck...not a single soft spot anywhere. It's hard hard to find a blemish anywhere on the boat.

I have all the factory documentation, manuals, wiring schematics, sales brochures, engine tech documents, carburetor documents and the detailed 12 page survey. I hope to have the survey on line soon (again it's 8 years old) for you to review. I'm a bit skeptical of the engine hour meters claiming 350 hours. First, it seems low for a 25 year old boat and I've had a few experts tell me these boats didn't come from the factory with hour meters, so they may have been added at some time! I've seen a few photos to support that claim. Additionally I know we average about 40 hours a summer ourselves which is minimal so that would still be 1000 hours. We know the previously owner never took the boat anywhere...it was just a floating bed.

125 Detailed Photos At This Location!!! (Note: there are 3 pages of photos in the gallery)

Additional comments to make the boat perfect:

The boat had common voltage drop for mid range 25 year old boat. This means that gauges are a bit off (sometimes low readings), turning lights on can cause others to dim. Much much has been done to upgrade this including cleaning grounds and upgrading wiring. Tachs and speedometers work fine. Gas gauges leave a bit to be desired so we keep a good record of fill ups. We put a new grinder in it and upgraded the wiring to directly run off the battery (more power) but I believe its due for a new joker valve and internals. I hope to replace this winter/spring but now we are selling.
We hoped to update the vinyl seats as there is a small blemish on the back seats but the rest of them are in great shape...so we held off. With the new canvas and paint we were hoping to update the seats next year. Helm is excellent shape. We had the wood framing (internals) on the seats rebuilt when we bought the boat.
We have the old "camper top" canvas for the back in blue. It works for keeping wind and bugs out but the canvas is shot and needs redone. We pull the seats every time we leave and store them inside so the weather never touches the vinyl and use the drop canvas to keep out the bugs and rain from the helm.
One of the trim tabs in "odd". We had the pump out this summer to trouble shoot but never got to fixing it. We set the port trim tab manually for proper lift and use the starboard to balance out the ride. Not a problem for me until I figure out the pump issue w/o having to buy a new one! (Update: I found a guy on ebay selling pumps for $250 so I'll include a new one with the sale and we can install it in the spring. Takes 5 minutes)
It may need bottom paint this winter. We tend to do it every 2-3 year and I know its due. we'll know more when we pull her out this weekend. (Update: I would recommend a light scrape and paint this spring)
Wood quality is in great shape and we tend to condition it every other year. Next year the exterior teak is due for a cleaning and staining or clear coat. Interior wood is in great shape.
Holding tank lights have been showing false levels this summer. Most likely the sensors are getting old and will need cleaned. We pump out every other weekend so we never fill it to the top anyways.

Boat can be shown by appointment by that "top boat guy" who is a personal friend and our mechanic. It will be out of the water by the time this listing is live. It will be stored (heated) indoors. Bring your surveyor, mechanic or brother-in-law and kick the tires! I won't do any sea trials till spring and you will pay all costs for such needs. Personally I don't think boats in this size/price need sea trials and barely a survey...but that is your call and we'll support what you need. I just bought a 36ft Tiara and other then a compression check on the engines...we didn't require sea trails or even a survey.

I believe in disclosing all concerns good or bad. That way the buyer knows what they are getting into and I know there are people who know a great deal even if they do have to tweak and wrench a couple items for marine perfection! It's a 25 year old boat and the price more then reflects that. Check the internet...you'll see most sell $5000-7000 more then what we are asking...and I bet they are not as nice. I have a great history of buying and selling toys on ebay and craigslist, so buy with confidence. Don't contact me to beat me up on price or nickle and dime me for a scratch or two. I know what this is worth even in a sellers market!

Good luck...you will not be disappointed.

Additional comment/edit (3.19.10) on Boat Value:

If you have got this far then you are really interested in this boat. If you are interest you'll want to review this discussion on value. I had an interested party point out that NADA says the boat is worth less then $10K and you can download this PDF showing this fact to be true here, as quoted on 3/19/10 with no options. The fact of the matter is NADA is wrong and I actually had a conversation many years ago when we bought the boat on the same matter! See I wrote them a nasty email on their "contact us" link on their website, and who would think they would call me at home... They (NADA) are obviously a small operation as I recall speaking with someone high up the food chain and they were very nice to talk to. I pointed out their flaw and they asked for data to refute their declared value, which I did...but apparently the low value remains to this date. In their argument they had one valid point to consider...just because 1001 people are asking an high price doesn't make the actual selling price valid...but their data is arguably off by almost a factor of two!!!

Now since my bank used NADA and we all knew the value was wrong we bought the boat with a loan from the wives credit union that used BUC BOOK. I went on to find out from my "insurance guy" that the BUC BOOK is the "only" respected source for determining value for insuring a boat. To prove the different in BUC BOOK I have included three values from their data with the third one being the most accurate based on the correct representation of the engines I have. You'll see all three are very close in the $17-19K range!!! Their (BUC) data is based on that provided by national surveyors and brokers...the later who obviously represent better quality and higher priced boats. See links below for PDFs showing the web page shot. Please note if you create an account on www.BUC.com they will only allow you to look at three boats for their trial period since their product is more for commercial use such as insurance and lending.

Buc Value on 3/19/10 with mercruiser engines (didn't know this was an option!)
Buc Value on 3/19/10 with volvo engines (rare config from what I read)
Buc Value on 3/19/10 with crusader/pleasure craft engines (260/270hp)

Do the research yourself but I've got you pointing in the right direct. Now none of this info does you any good if you lending institution insists on NADA, so good luck! Value is based on what the market demands not a what a company (with possibly bad data) insists! Make me an offer knowing what the boat is, represents and would cost to replace...not what some yahoo tells you!

A quick look around boats.com I found 4 boats for sale like ours (and this was without trying to hard). The low end was $3,900 (bad engines) and the high end was $22,900 which happened to be our friends old boat! They sold it for $18,000 three years ago and the current own wants to make a profit (or the broker does). I should point out our boat is just as nice as the $22,900 if it had a new camper top...

References: www.nada.com and www.buc.com

so...

Shawn & Kerrie

Older photos of the boat can be found below. These are pre-paint job as well as the original photos from the listing when we bought it. I think there is another gallery in there of Avanti Vee images I found from other websites while researching the boat pre-purchase.

http://www.carboncow.net/gallery/album53 After recent paint job
http://www.carboncow.net/gallery/album51 Pre-paint job
http://www.carboncow.net/gallery/cruisers Previous owners sale photos

This is the first summer after we bought it...note the lighter and faded blue paint! A bit of an ugly 80s blue.

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